Look at me I'm fallin'
Off of a cliff now
I can still hear my mama yelling No No No
But the words mean nothing

Can't catch up to me now
And the view is so beautiful
All the way down
When I was a little boy

Suckin' juice from a bottle
Believing my perceptions were oh so real
But I don't know nothing
Still knowing nothing

Was just enough for me to know the way I feel
This is life
What a fucked up thing we do
What a nightmare come true

Or a playground if we choose
And I choose

Look at me I'm swollen
Like a banana fish now
I'm never gonna make it out of my hole
But I keep on laughing

Doesn't really matter
There's dozens of reasons for explaining my soul
When I was a teenager
Suckin' booze with the Vatos

Discussing who was gonna live to be 21
They said they wouldn't make it
They didn't make it
We're all naked when the day is said and done

This is life
What a fucked up thing we do
What a nightmare come true
Or a playground if we choose
And I choose

Don't know who made this all come true
But now while you're here
You just gotta do what you gotta do
Now if I wasn't such a weenie

Do you think you'd still love me
Pretending I'm an airplane on the living
Room floor
But like a lovely generator

You stand right by me
And if words were wisdom I'd be talking
Even more
So I keep on falling

As I'm looking back above me
Watching as my mama just becomes a little dot
Now I'm like DeNiro
I'm amarillo

And I'll never know when I hit the ground


Lyrics submitted by sawg, edited by sobot

I Choose Lyrics as written by Bryan Holland

Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Songtrust Ave

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I Choose song meanings
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26 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    I definetly agree with the symbolism of falling off a cliff to that of a life in transition from beginning to end; the main charachter refers to his mother at the top symbolizing birth and obviously the impact at the end of his fall is the end of him. It's also interesting to note that it seems the Offspring likes the works of J.D. Salinger, finding a reference to "Perfect Day for Bananafish" here and a refrence to "Catcher in the Rye" in an earlier song entitled, "Get It Right". Favorite line in the song, "If words were wisdom I'd be talking even more."

    PyroPenguinon November 18, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song makes me feel happy and free. I love the line "discussing who was gonna live to be 21"; my friends and I will sit around and joke about death like it's nothing, because really, what else are we supposed to do? Act like we're not going to die?

    pleasebeatme92on February 03, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    he is saying that he doesnt know what the purpose of life is. and we all play along, because while were here, we 'gotta do what you gotta do'

    black_carroton June 05, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song. Whenever I have a bad day, I listen to this and it cheers me up. You can take two looks at life, see it as a nightmare come true, or as a a playground. I'm going with Offspring, I choose. One bad day doesn't make a difference if it doesn't matter, and you just take things day by day and 'live life to the fullest' to use a cliché.

    The Irish Guyon June 30, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I absolutely love this song, it's perfect in everyway, and it gets points for mentioning bananafish- Nine Stories by JD Salinger reference. It couldve even been a crappy song, but if it mentions bananafish it gets points from me. Carpe diem, baby.

    BondGirl007on June 30, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    P.S. Bananafish by Salinger was also about suicide

    MyPrivilegeon June 11, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't think it's about suicide. I think the jumping off a cliff bit is about how our lifetimes are like jumping off a cliff because we "never know when I hit the ground" ie die., and there's no way of stopping it or slowing down time. You can either be terrified of hitting the ground (death) or enjoy the exhilaration of falling (life) and he's saying he chooses to enjoy it.

    Regos the Saneon April 29, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Regos the Sane is right, it's comparing life to falling off a cliff. You know you will hit the ground, and you can fear the impact, or you can enjoy the view and the exhilerating feeling. I love this song, it's so true.

    And that part of "Perfect Day for Bananafish" is about living recklessly - the bananafish just go and eat a lot of food and enjoy themselves, and then die because of it. I think that becomes suicide because Seymour sees that in life, and doesn't see the way out.

    Relinquo1on April 29, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    ah, knowing the lyrics to this song now make me love it even more

    wackydeli3on February 21, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I've always thought this song was about the use of hallucinogens...

    ngeigeron June 22, 2006   Link

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